Punch removing device



Sept. 17, 1940. Q Q WC3-{Am} 2,215,015

PUNCH REMOVING DEVICE Filed Dec. 15, 1957 I N V EN TOR. Cle/field? C.'cdra? BYM fr@ A TTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 17, 1940 PUNCH REMOVING DEVICE Clement C. Richard,Bloomfield Hills, Mich., assignor to Allied Products Corporation,Detroit,

Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 13, 1937, SerialNo. 179,530

4 Claims.

This invention relates toa device for removing punches, dies and thelike from locked position in the retainers, the object of the inventionbeing to provide a means having a part adapted to hold the lock elementin retracted position while another part is movable to withdraw thepunch.

'I'he device is operable with various forms of retainers having anautomatic means for locking the punch or die in position as for instancein the U. S. patent to O. K. and C. C. Richard, No. 1,621,811 ofMarch22, 1927, or the U. S. patent'to C. C. Richard, No. 1,974,217, issuedFebruary l0, 1935, or other forms of lock device in which it is requiredto force the lock element out of locking position against a springtension to release the punch or die to withdrawal movement.

It is also an' object and feature of the invention to provide a devicehaving a punch carrying lelement which, upon insertion into the retainerblock against the lock element, engages a notch provided therefor on thetool whereby, on release of pressure by the operator, the tool isautomatically withdrawn.

It is further an object and feature of the invention to provide aspring-projected lock releasing pin carried by a housing in which thereis a ilxed tool engaging pin, the spring projecting the lock releasingpin being of greater tension than the spring forcing the lock element tolocked position, providing a structure that upon release of'handpressure, the tool engaging pin will move to withdraw the punch beforethe lock element is released to movement by its spring.

These objects and various novel features of the invention arehereinafter more fully described and claimed, and the preferred form ofconstruction of a device embodying my invention is shown in theaccompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of apunch retainer and lock and of the withdrawal device in position at thetime of insertion of the removing pin.

'Fig. 2 is a similar section showing the position of the parts at thecompletion of the insertion of the release pin to a point of engagementwith the notch therefor in the punch shank.

Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the relative movement of the punchremoving pin and the lock retracting pin as the punch is removed.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the punch or die shank showingl the lockrecess and notch for the release pin.

Fig. 6 shows a form of device having a handle at one side formanipulation thereof. 5`

In punch and die retainers, a spring-pressed lock element is provided toengage in a notch of the punch or die positioned in an aperture in aretainer body. This retainer and lock element, as above stated, may beof various forms. In l the form here shown, the retainer body isindicated at i and a ball lock element at 2, the ball being insertiblein `an aperture 3 lying at an angle to the aperture 4 for the shank ofthe punch and opening thereinto near the face of 15 the retainer asshown.

The punch has a notch 6 in its wall into which the ball seats when thepunch is inserted to engagement with the backing plate 1. Thisnotch 6 isinclined to the longitudinal axis of the 20 punch and the ball assumes awedging relation therewith. normally preventing withdrawal of the punch.'Ihe ball is projected to locking position by a spring 8 and there is aslot 9 opening from the punch aperture 4 into the bottom of 25 the ballaperture 3. There is also a means for retaining the spring in positionin the retainer block, here shown as a disk like element i0.

Heretofore, it has been the practice to insert a pin into an apertureopening to the bottom of the ball recess whereby the ball could beretracted from position and the punch withdrawn by hand. Punches areusually supported in the head of a press and dies on the base or tableor the punch set may contain several punches as a group in a blockhaving a series of apertures therefor and each of which is provided with-a lock element such for instance as the ball 2. This retainer block orany form of retainer such for instance asa single retainer here shownmay o require the punch to be withdrawn when not in association with thepress. It is the purpose of this invention Ato provide means for ready,practically automatic, withdrawal of a punch or die from a retainerblock and for this purpose, I provide the punch not only with the notchfor the lock element, such for instance as the notch 6, but I alsoprovide a notch i i opening from the bottom edge thereof as shownclearly in Fig. 5 and this notch forms a shoulder i2 at a right 50 angleto the axis of the punch as will be understood from Fig. 1. The punch isshown in normal locked-,position in Fig. 1 and the punch removing toolis there shown at the beginning of the releasing operation.

' In the preferred construction, the tool has a body consisting of anopen ended cylindrical shell I3 interiorly threaded to receive the openend of an elongated, externally threaded, shell I4. On this shell I4 isa knurled locking nut I5. The member I4 is open ended and a cylindricalbody I6 is insertible therein, this body having a recess I'I to receiveone end of a coiled compression spring I8, the opposite end of whichseats on the inner face of the end of the outer shell I3. It is to benoted that the shell I4 is firmly seated in the member I3 being heldfrom longitudinal movement relative thereto. However, the body I6 isreciprocable in the interior of the shell I4. To the shell I4 is xedlysecured an elongated rod like stem or pin I9 having an end formed with apoint and a curved face 20 providing a hook portion 2l. 'I'here is alsoa rod 22 xedly attached to the spring-pressed body I6 which extendsthrough an aperture provided therefor in the head of the shell I4 aswill be understood from Fig. 1.

A handheld is also provided comprising a knob 23 having a stem providedwith a threaded extension 24 for securing the same to the head of theshell I3 and there are also transversely extending companion pins 25 and26 threaded in the head I3, the purpose of which is to provide a gripfor two fingers of the hand of the operator with the knob 23 resting inthe palm of the hand. The tool, when thus grasped, may be positionedwith the rod or pin 22 extendingthrough the slot like aperture 9 in theface of the retainer to engagement with the punch locking element orball 2 as here shown.

When the ball is thus engaged, the pin, by application of pressure, rstretracts the ball 2 to the position shown in Fig. 2 collapsing itsspring 8 and then the spring I8 is compressed causing the point of thehooked pin I9 to pass into the slot 9 of the retainer block and to snapinto engagement with the ledge I2 of the notch II in the punch shank.'Ihe pin I9 is of spring metal and spaced a slight distance from thestiff pin or rod 22 thus permitting the same to pass through the slot 9whereupon the hook end of the pin I9 moves into the notch II. Thetension of the spring I 8 is greater than that of the spring 8 which, asheretofore stated, tends to force the ball to its locking position butthe difference in the length of the rod like elements I9 and 22, when innormal position shown in Fig. 1, requires that the spring I8 becompressed in order to move the hook end of the member I9 into the punchrecess II. Thus, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2 withthe hook end of the member I9 in place, a release of the pressure by thehand of the operator will first permit movement of the member I9 andshell I4 in respect to the member I6. 'This is the desired arrangementof the parts as it is necessary to insure holding the ball or equivalentlock element in retracted position until the recess 6 for the lockelement is out of position to be engaged by the ball. Thus, on thepartial release of pressure by the hand of the operator, the member I9Will move relative to the member 22 withdrawing the punch from itsaperture as shown in Fig. 3. This movement of the device from theposition of Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 3 is very rapid appearing as a singleact of the operator. Thus it becomes a very simple matter to withdrawthe punch from its locked position in the retainer block.

It is frequently the case that punch points or punches break and requirethe shank to be removed and a new punch introduced. In introduction ofthe punch to place in the retainer, the ball or similar lock element isautomatically moved out of place by the end of the punch and as thepunch end engages the backing plate 1, the ball normally moves tolocking position. Thus any punch is readily withdrawn to introduce a newpunch in replacement of a broken one or a punch of a different form maybe introduced as may be required for a dilferent operation.

It is oftentimes necessary to reach in beneath the head of a press forinstance to a position in which the operator cannot grasp the device bythe pins 25 or 26. For this purpose of introduction of rods I9 and 22into a retainer which is not accessible with the hand of the operator onthe knob 23, I providea side handle 21 insertible in one of the threadedapertures for the pins 25 or 26. 'I'his will enable an operator to movethe tool conveniently from a distance to one side thereof rather thanfrom directly at the end. The structure in Fig. 5 is otherwise entirelysimilar to that shown in Fig. 1, the elements being the same.

The above description has referred more particularly to punches or punchShanks but die members cooperative with such punches are removable fromsimilar retainers in the same manner by the tool here shown and in factany device that is locked in a similar manner in a block may, if theblock is apertured in the manner hereinbefore described, be removed byuse of my improved tool here shown in the preferred form.

It is believed from the foregoing description that the various objectsof the invention are attained by the punch removing device here shown;that the structure is simple and comparatively inexpensive in character,and that the device may be used with the various spring-pressed lockelements commonly known in the punch and die retaining art.

Having thus briefly described my invention, its utility and mode ofoperation, what I lclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States isi 1. A device for the purpose and function describedcomprising -a hollow body, a handle at one end thereof, an elongated pinfixed to the body and extending therefrom, said pin having a hooked end,an element slidable in the body, a spring for moving the same in onedirection, an elongated pin attached to the said slidable member andextending to a distance beyond the hook end of the rst pin, said longerpin providing a lock retracting element and the hooked pin providing apunch engaging element.

2. A device for the purpose and function described, comprising anexternally threaded cylindrical body element open at one end, a handholdat the opposite end thereof, a second cylindrical open ended hollowshell externally threaded for association therewith, a lock nut on saidsecond shell to hold the same in xed relation with the said body, a pinhaving a hook end in fixed relation with the said second shell andextending therefrom at one edge parallel with the longitudinal axisthereof, a cylindrical member slidable the said second shell, a springtending to force the same to the bottom of the said second shell, and asecond pin extending throughy the bottom of the said shell and fixed tothe sliding memberthe second pin being closely adjacent to and parallelwith the hooked pin and, when in projected position, having its outerend at a distance beyond the hooked end of the rst pin.

3. A device for the purpose of removing apunch or the like from itsaperture in a retainer in which it is held by a spring-pressed ballengaging -a notch therein, said retainer having an opening through itsface' and the punch having a notch comprising a device having a pin likepart provided with a hooked end, a second pin like part lying closelyadjacent to and parallel therewith and normally having an end extendingto a distance beyond the hooked end of the rst pin like part forintroduction through said retainer opening, said pin like parts beingrelatively movable in parallel relation, a spring for moving the longerpin like part with respect to the pin like part having the hooked end, ahand hold for moving the pin like parts to position with the longer ofsaid pin like parts retracting the ball and compressing the spring inthe retainer and the hooked end of the other pin like part engaging thenotch of the punch.

4. A device for the purpose of removing -a punch or the like from itsaperture in a, retainer in which it is held by a spring pressed lockelement engaging a notch provided in the punch, said retainer having arecess for the lock element op'en at its lower end to the punchaperture, and a slot opening through the face of the retainer andextending from the punch aperture to the recess for the lock element,comprising a holder, a resilient pin like element having one end xed tothe holder and extending therefrom and -terminating in a hook end, a pinlike element carried by the holder in a relatively movable relation, aspring carried by the holder for projecting the movable pin like elementwith its end at a distance beyond the hook end of said xed pin likeelement, the structure providing a means whereby, as the movable pinlike element is inserted into the retainer through the slot, the lockelement is moved from locked relation with the punch permitting the hookend of the xed pin like element to enter theslot and engage the notch inthe punch and, as the punch is withdrawn from its aperture by said xedprin like element, the lock element is heldin retracted position by therelatively movable pin like element until the notch in the punch ismoved from its position for cooperation therewith.

CLEMENT C. RICHARD.

